


First Love/Late Spring

by kaspbb



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Cute, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:01:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26022319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaspbb/pseuds/kaspbb
Summary: With that terrible summer behind him, Eddie is trying to start fresh. Unfortunately, his dreams, and the boy with thick-rimmed glasses who appears in them, are getting in the way.(pretty sure this doesn't make logical sense in the canon world of IT but bear with me I wrote it on a whim, its a ff the world works as i choose hehe <3)
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

FALL

7:25 a.m. My god, FUCK, Eddie thinks, late again. Alarm blaring, the flustered fourteen-year-old tears his blankets off his body and darts to the bathroom to brush his teeth- maneuvering his way around the cardboard moving boxes that lay all over his room. With a swift, but accidental kick, one empty box flies out his bedroom door and topples down the stairs; no damage done, but a whole lot of noise was made nonetheless. He winces.  
“Eddie! You know you can’t be running around like that! What would happen if you slipped? Fell down the stairs…” his mother exclaims, dissecting every possible way in which five feet run from his bedroom to his bathroom could’ve ended in sudden death.  
Eddie beings to gasp, and reaches for his inhaler. Fucking asthma, fucking shitty asthma, Eddie laments. Moving didn’t change anything did it? This new house was just as infuriating and hellish as the last one, only in this moment, his mother was on her bullshit as per usual, and he was late for school.

When finally freed from the wrath of his mother, (he appeased her with a kiss on the cheek, and a reassurance that, yes, he would take all of his meds; and yes, he had his extra inhaler ‘just in case’), Eddie swiftly made his way to school. 

Bangor was a lonely place. For him at least. Friends were hard to come by, especially when you were new in a school full of kids who’d spent their whole lives in the city; and because you were a loser with a fanny pack full of pills and two inhalers whose mom wouldn’t let you out of her sight. Eddie found himself missing Derry, but wasn’t sure why. He hated that place. Well, actually, he hardly remembered it. His memory of that town and its people was so bad, he worried if he had, like, early onset Alzheimer’s or something. Shaking his head in denial of the absurd thought, he grabbed and took a puff of his inhaler. It didn’t matter what he was forgetting anyways, all that really matter was how scared that town made him- more scary than bacterial infections and more intimidating than his mother; yes, that was Derry alright. Mindlessly lost in his spiraling thoughts, Eddie made it to the disheveled, lonely, brick building where he was supposed to spend the next four, (probably miserable), years in. 

Up the stairs and to the right, up the stairs and to the right, up the stairs and to the right, up the stairs and to the right, he repeats. Dodging students left and right, Eddie slips his way up the stairs smoothly and easily, and most importantly without tripping or running into someone who would then have it out for him after school. Nice, ok, good. I’m in the clear, fuck ye –  
“Ow!” someone yells.  
A skinny, dark-haired boy with the thickest glasses you’ve ever seen collapsed to the ground in front of Eddie. Fuck! I didn’t know I was that stron-  
“Watch where you’re going asshole!” the glasses’ boy interjects bitingly, now rising to his feet.  
Eddie is flustered. “Shit my ba-”;  
but the boy was standing now, and close. His big brown eyes were staring furiously into Eddie’s, their faces mere inches apart. His voice dies out. I know him, Eddie thinks. I know those glasses, those eyes, that voice. I know him. Or knew him. Maybe that was it. Maybe I knew him. Something about this realization makes Eddie want to throw up, but another part of him wants to yell out loud. Hey! I know you! I’m so glad I know you! I’m so happy you’re here! But he doesn’t. Instead, his face turns bright red and a ‘sorry’ meanders out of his mouth before clearing out of the dreaded hallway as fast as he possibly can.

~ ~ ~  
He’s back in Derry. The quarry, Eddie thinks. Blinding, unrelenting rays of sunlight beat down on his face as he squints his eyes tightly, trying to make out his surroundings. Though it’s a struggle, from what he can tell he is standing barefoot on a hot, rocky ledge- a cliff surrounded by numerous trees, some dying and sparse, some lush and green, all mixed up together their branches flapping in the summer breeze. At least thirty feet below, a deep, dark, blue body of water is alive and full of movement. Down there, six rings ripple and multiply into dozens, and to Eddie’s surprise, six children his age emerge from the watery chaos. They are looking up at him expectantly. He knows their names. Ben, Mike, Bev, Bev? Beverly? Doesn’t matter! he argues, then continues, Stan, Bill, and-  
“Hey, Eduardo! Get your ass down here! We all jumped, you have to to!”  
fuck, he thinks, the kid with the glasses, the kid with those damn glasses, what was his name agai- “Yeah? Why don’t you just shut the fuck up Richie!” Eddie’s mouth moves before his brain can comprehend what’s coming out of it.  
That’s right! Richie. Rich. Richie “Trash mouth” Tozier. That’s the name. And it was something about that name, something about that kid’s voice, face, glasses and all, that sparked Eddie’s uninhibited run towards the edge of the cliff; He leapt; falling down down down down down….


	2. Chapter 2

WINTER

9:00 a.m. As soon as the alarm beeps its first beep it’s silenced by a pillow catapulting from the bed where Eddie lay. Dammit, he thinks. Nothing new today. He haphazardly paws at his bedside table where the alarm is still going off, muted by the pillow now; grabbing a well-used notebook and pen. He opens the journal, and inside there are paragraphs upon paragraphs- it’s basically a full-length novel- of dreams. Memories. Everything is related to Derry, scratch that, everything is related to Richie. Rich. Richie Tozier. My best friend from Derry. My best friend, he revises. The Kaspbrak’s phone begins to ring. 

“Hello?”   
Richie practically cackles into the phone. “Hey Eds, it’s Rich. Just wanted to let you know that I’m gonna have to skip out on the arcade todaysorryaboutthat its just uhhh, I’m like, sooo exhausted from doing your mom last night!”   
“That is so not funny.” Eddie responds bitterly, no hint of amusement in his voice.   
“Hah, Ok, sure. Pretend that you’re not cracking up, just try, just try to trick me! See how it goes.” Richie retorts, a sly smile on his face. 

Eddie feels a pang in his chest. I miss this. It’s the same, but I miss this. I want to tell you everything. Just give me a sign; give me a sign and I’ll tell you what I’ve figured out. 

“Hello? EdsEduardoEddieSpaghetti! are you there? Your asthma kill you? Ya know, your mom might be needy and annoying, needy for sure,” he emphasizes, almost bursting into laughter, “but she makes you carry those two inhalers around with you for a reason!”   
“Shut the fuck up Rich!” Eddie fires back, “Can you come to the arcade or not? Be serious.”  
Richie laughs. “Yea I can! I was just messing with you Eds.”  
Eddie sighs. “Ok, don’t call me Eds,” he bites. “You know I don’t like that. And also, if you didn’t have anything important to say why’d you even call at all trashmouth?”   
“I have to have a reason to give a good, no, great, some may say only, friend a call? What has our world become? What has our country transformed into? A culture where we can’t pick up something that possesses the ingenuity that our modern phones do, something that keeps us connected and-”  
Eddie cuts him off. “Beep beep Richie.” he snaps, “see you there.” 

Walking through the fresh sheet of snow that lay upon the town, bundled up Eddie tries his best to only step in footprints that had already been made; maybe days, maybe hours, maybe only thirty minutes before. He didn’t want to ruin the new snow, that would be bad luck. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots his destination. Lit up like a Christmas tree, the local arcade sits across the street from him; it looks like any other standard arcade, like it could be in any small town. It brings him back to Derry, and back to Rich.   
After that fate filled meeting in the hallway in the fall, Eddie tried his best to avoid him; but when the loneliness of Bangor and suffocation of his house set in deeper than it ever had, he needed someone. A friend. That is when the dreams, memories, began. Before he got to the good though, he had to suffer through the bad. The clown, that fucking clown. Fuck that guy honestly, he thinks. They got nicer after that, memories of his first friend, Bill, the Losers clubhouse, and of course Richie. Eddie smiles, but his face abruptly contorts. Am I bad? Is this bad? He knows he shouldn’t try to recreate what both of them had back in Derry, that was unethical. Especially because it seemed that Richie had no idea they even knew each other before Bangor. But it’s not like he gathered up five other kids to be friends with, called each other the losers club, and built a clubhouse. All Eddie was ever trying to do, was to make his best friend remember him. They had fallen into the same nicknames, bickering dynamic, and activities they use to do together; even with Richie’s assumed cluelessness. If that wasn’t special, fate, whatever you want to call it, Eddie didn’t know what was. 

A chirping voice cut through the air, a figure bounding through the snow. “Cute, cute, cute!” Richie exclaims, pinching Eddie’s, albeit cold, rosy cheeks.   
“Fu- ju- fuck you dude.” Eddie quips.   
Richie raises his eyebrows suggestively. “Come on, you know you love me!”   
Eddie rolls his eyes, cheeks rosy as ever. “Can we please just go in?”

This is routine. Richie aggressively mashing buttons and pulling triggers on practically every machine in the vicinity, while Eddie sits on a stool and just watches. Richie’s eyes glow in the light of the games, as he rambles on and on about the intricacies of Street Fighter; they’re practically sparkling, Eddie notices.

“So, what do you think Eds?” Richie questions.   
Eddie practically jumps, still half mesmerized by the glow of his best friend’s eyes. “Sorry, uh, what?”  
“Shit might wanna get your ears checked! Sure you aren’t an asthmatic and deaf?” Richie jokes.   
“Why don’t you ju-”   
“I was asking,” he interrupts, “if you think I can beat this CPU.”   
“oh, uh, sure.” Eddie responds.   
Richie turns back to the screen “Mkay then,” he says nonchantly. 

Eddie didn’t mind this set up. He didn’t mind at all. Being here with Richie “Trashmouth” Tozier were the highlight of his Saturdays, the highlight of his weeks. The only tough part was not being able to tell him about everything he knew. Derry, The Losers, the fucking clown; the fact that he was his best friend. Eddie patiently waited for the right moment. For all he knew, Richie might be keeping the same secrets from him! It was possible, even probable. And when Trashmouth here slipped up and let a detail spill, he would tell him everything; but for now, he was ok with basking in the glow of the video games, and looking at his friend’s sparkling eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

SPRING

Eddie sits on his bed clutching his inhaler. This is it, he urges. ThisisitthisisitthisisitSHIT. THIS IS IT! He takes a gulping breath from his from the aspirator. By this time tomorrow Eddie’s pretty sure Richie is going to know everything. Or at least everything he’s recorded in his journal.   
As the snow melted and flowers began to bloom, he had felt a change with Rich. Don’t get him wrong, he loved being friends with him. But that was precisely the problem. The love that Eddie had for him he couldn’t really describe, but he knew it was strong. Strong enough to know that keeping Derry a secret from him was wrong, or at least it felt wrong. So wrong! Eddie scolds, I should’ve just come clean when I had that first dream. I wouldn’t be in this mess. He hated how guilty he felt, he hated it so much it burned.  
Eddie flops down, clenched fist to his chest. Everything could change. He reaches for his inhaler again. Just breathe, he thinks. It’ll be ok…

“It has to be ok.” he assures. 

And with that, he dozes off. 

~ ~ ~

Rain slowly drips down through the well-intended, but unfortunately useless boards that lay above Eddie. Drip drop drip drop dri- 

“Aw, shit!” Richie gripes.  
Eddie shifts his weight in the hammock they’re sharing to get a closer look. “What? What happened?”  
Richie sighs and looks up at him with a sad smile. “Just this shitty rainwater. Ruining my comics. It’s fine.” 

He’s quieter than ever, Eddie thinks. He’s upset, there’s no way he’s no-

Richie’s eyes are harshly glued on his comic. “Care to explain why you’re leaving me to ROT in this lame-ass town Eduardo?” 

He’s just kidding, Eddie persuades. A part of him knows he isn’t. His words are exaggerated and his voice is sarcastic, but his eyes are obviously glistening even in the darkness of this bug-infested clubhouse. 

“Look Rich-” Eddie begins,   
“No. No. You can’t just leave. You especially. Not like the others and not after all we’ve been through!” Richie forces out, tears in his eyes about to spill over.   
“Rich, do you think I have a choice? Do you think I would choose to leave?-” Eddie stops for a spilt moment. You know, maybe he would choose to leave, I mean a fucking psychotic alien clown had almost killed him this summer. But, he shakes his head. That wasn’t the point here.   
“Do you think I want to leave you?” Eddie pleads, rustling the hammock as he leans over to get Richie’s attention.   
‘My best friend? No. I don’t.”   
Richie’s eyes slowly leave his comic to look at his friend. Tears are running down his cheeks.   
“Not ever.” Eddie adds as lightly swiping away the tears.   
Richie’s cheeks are soft, Eddie thinks. He realizes their faces are mere inches apart. Richie’s big brown eyes staring directly into his, sad looking, but there’s something else there. Fondness, maybe.   
They’re still for a second. Then, all at once, Richie swiftly, albeit awkwardly, leans into Eddie; their lips gently touching, then locking.   
A simple kiss. A First Love.

9:00 a.m. Eddie wakes up in tears. He can’t tell if he’s happy or not. Fuck, he thinks. That’s a lie. He’s devastated.   
There’s no way in hell, he can tell Richie the truth now.


End file.
